The present invention relates to a new and distinct perennial variety of Liriope gigantea, which has been given the variety denomination of ‘Pontovia’. Its market class is that of an ornamental flowering perennial. ‘Pontovia’ is intended for use in landscaping and also in garden containers. Liriope gigantea, commonly called “giant lilyturf”, is an evergreen perennial native to China and Japan that forms large clumps of dark green grass-like leaves with light lavender flower spikes that appear in summer. Its consistent size and performance through its hardiness range make it an ideal choice for specimen, borders and mass plantings in any filtered sun to shady, low-maintenance landscape or container.
Parentage: In 2006, seed that resulted from an open pollination of the species Liriope gigantea was sown at a wholesale nursery in Vista, Calif. The resulting progeny were potted into 15 cm nursery pots and placed in a production area to grow on to a mature, sellable size. While inspecting the crop in June of 2007, one plant was observed to have green and yellow, to green and white foliage variegation whereas the parent and other sibling progeny did not have variegated foliage; the plant was isolated for further observation. Said plant was further grown and asexually propagated through several generations from 2007 until July of 2012, at which time it was determined that the characteristics for which it was originally selected were uniform and stable. The new plant was given the name ‘Pontovia’.
Asexual Reproduction: ‘Pontovia’ was first asexually propagated by dividing the root-bearing, rhizomatous propagules of the plant (i.e. “division cloning”) in 2007 in Vista, Calif. and has since been asexually propagated through seven subsequent generations. The distinctive characteristics of the inventive ‘Pontovia’ variety are stable from generation to generation; clones of the variety produced by asexual reproduction maintain the distinguishing characteristics of the original plant.